Okay, I just got done spending a wonderful week up north with my girlfriend. For the last few days, she had a fairly large sore on her chin, and another developed later on. Neither of us thought anything of it at the time, so we went on with our usual routine. It wasn't until she got home and went to the doctor that we found out it was a staph infection. So I was exposed do this for about 3 days, in which we were kissing and so forth... like, I basically ate the infection and her chin was in contact with various places on my body. I have a scab on my arm, but it is looking less and less like what she had. I don't know how I couldn't have gotten staph from her, given how contagious it is. Basically my worry is that since I probably ingested the bacteria, could the infection spread inside me without my knowing or would it still show up as sores and such on my skin? It would seem that if the infection was in my bloodstream or anywhere else in my body that I would have a fever, which I don't.

EDIT: 7/16

Okay, it's been over a week since I think I was first exposed. I still have no fever and feel fine. The mark on my arm has stayed the same. It's just a scab. I can't fathom how I couldn't have staph infection. It just doesn't seem possible.

Here are some details of the mark on my arm:
- size of a popcorn kernel
- a dark scab with a lighter spot in the center
- no drainage or pus
- surrounding skin is slightly red
- feels a tad warm to the touch

Questions about Staph infections are the most common questions on this board if you look at all the previous threads. I want to ask you something before I answer your question, but before coming to this board, what was your impression about what Staph really is?

On to your question: Staphylococcus species are a group of bacteria which NORMALLY live on the skin in healthy people. Yes, this bug has the propensity to cause skin and soft tissue infections, but for the most part it just lives on your skin and in your nose and causes no problem. Even before your girlfriend got that infection on her chin, you were being exposed to the bacteria, so that ship has already sailed! HOWEVER, Staphylococcus does not have the tools necessary to live in the GI tract like other bacteria do. So "eating" Staphylococcus would cause its immediate destruction by your stomach acid. Finally, if someone gets ill from invasive Staph infections, you get VERY ill. Ill to the point where you are in the hospital admitted. It's not a subtle bug. I hop I was able to answer your question. Can you please answer mine?

Haha, well... I didn't really know much about staph. All I knew was that it is a bacteria that lives on people's skin and has potential to cause serious infections. Please excuse my medical ignorance. Her infection has almost completely healed, and I feel fine. I think we are in the clear.

Thanks a bunch for your help.

Oh, and another quick question...

If staph lives on your skin all or most of the time, is it only when it finds a way into your skin that it becomes a problem?